More Articles

Tylenol and other painkillers containing the ingredient acetaminophen can cause potentially
deadly rashes and blistering of the skin, U.S. health regulators warned yesterday.

Companies that sell prescription acetaminophen will be required to add a warning about the risk
of rash to the prescribing information, the Food and Drug Administration said.

Two of the skin conditions, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, can be
fatal. They typically begin with flulike symptoms, followed by rash, blistering and the detachment
of the upper surface of the skin, the FDA said.

A separate condition, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, is typically not
life-threatening and is characterized by the sudden appearance of red skin containing dozens or
hundreds of small blisters filled with white or yellow fluid.

The agency said it is difficult to determine how frequently such skin reactions occur because of
the widespread use of the drug, but it is likely the events occur rarely.